Breed Bans
What are your views on such laws? As Pitbull mix owner you can probably guess my opinion. But what about Half-Wolf or Coydogs?
This is what I feel like saying to every lawmaker thinking about imposing a breed ban...
What are your views on such laws? As Pitbull mix owner you can probably guess my opinion. But what about Half-Wolf or Coydogs?
This is what I feel like saying to every lawmaker thinking about imposing a breed ban...
Comments
"Punish the deed, not the breed."
Breed bans are just absurd. Punishing animals because of what humans have done to them just doesn't make any sense to me. Dogs are not born vicious, they are made vicious. Although I am surely preaching to the choir here.
Wolf and Coyote mixes are tricky. regrettably the people I have met who were parents of these animals were in no way qualified to be guardians of a wild dog. Banning them is not the answer (as proven by the ineffectiveness of breed bans). But I still wish that people had to pass a test before they could be responsible for the well being of an animal.
Ugh. it is all too complicated.
Pits have been bred for hundreds of years to be dog aggressive. And they are. Mine is wonderful with most dogs, but if she thinks that a dog poses a threat to me or Moto she is very protective.
That being said, if I had to leave a child unattended ( which I NEVER would, but hypothetically speaking) with either my pit bull or my shiba inu, there is no question I would trust my pit bull to protect the child and slather her in kisses. Moto would nip if he was annoyed or thought the child wasn't paying him enough attention.
The problem is the owners, either deliberate or ignorance, but regardless it is the owners responsibility not the whole breed. Stricter leash laws and stiffer penalties and more education is needed. I realize you will not get through with education to those people who think it is prestigous to own a viscious dog or the ones who think you have to make them mean in order for them to protect. That is where hard fines come in.
Education needs to start at an early age in canine education programs for kids like they are starting in some schools. One of the Micheal Vick dogs Jonny Justice does this for a living now.
Banning a specific breed will not stop the owners who have these viscous dogs. They will think it even cooler to own one and will obtain one regardless of the laws. If they decide not to own the particular banned breed, they will go out and acquire another breed that has just as much if not more to be a viscious dog for instance a Fila or Presa, etc..
When legislators realize the "pit bull" BSL did not work they will methodically go down the list until all breeds are banned and we no longer have canine companions.
According to a study in the UK after the introduction of the Dangerous Dog Act, the dog bites from Alsations (German Shepards), which had the highest percentage of dog bites before the law, had decreased but the bites by mongrels (mixed breeds) increased. It also stated that 50 percent of the dog bites/attacks were inflicted by dogs they knew.
Something to think about on stricter leash laws, some cities may also be at fault here with their ordinances concerning fencing making it harder for an owner to contain their pets.
I would have to think about the whole wolf/coyote mix aspect...
"Permission is not given to harbor a dog of the Rottweiler, American Pitt-bull, Pitt-
bull Terrier, Pitt-bull, German Shepard and Doberman Pincher variety mixed or pedigreed, or any breed with an
aggressive nature. Additionally a dog, a cat or animal of any kind or variety which at full maturity will weigh in excess of
(40) pounds is also prohibited."
Although I do not agree with banning breeds altogether, I think people do this as a precautionary measure. They would rather have a cute yorkie in the building compared to a huge rottweiler.
Research in France has illustrated strict leash laws actually worsen behavioural issues. The problem isn't really the leash law or free-roaming dogs, but rather socialization. A lot of people think a weekend drop-off at a dog-park or sticking them in a backyard is good enough for the dogs. In fact, urbanites who live in apartments tend to have better-socialized dogs since the owners are more likely to take their dogs with them on errand runs, to work and so on.
Now that we live in such a remote location, we have to may a constant conscience effort to socialize our dogs. It's ton of work now, where before it was not work at all, it was just "going out with the dogs".
Even with that effort, we've noticed a few of or dogs have become less social due to the setting - Ahi for example, she has always been our "go anywhere" dog, but now she kinda freaks out when we get her inside a pet store or something - I guess she is used to the open space we have here.
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I had a Cocker Spaniel that was a community dog in southern Alberta 15 years ago. He would visit everyone's houses by himself and get treats from the neighbours and such; he never got into a scrap with anyone's dog or cat. Everyone adored him. Nowadays, you won't find any dogs like that because the social norms has changed and "rural dogs" are expected to stay on the property-- or they are shot. These dogs are not as well socialized as they used to be two decades ago.